Corporate Member
Catawba Valley Staffing – (Wendy Ward), Morgan Willis
SanStone Health and Rehabilitation – (Amanda Carswell)
General Members
Angie Bedford – Legal
Susan Bingham – Nurse
Meredith Bleynat – Nurse
Annette Brinkley – Brinkley Insurance
Jim Brookes – Social Worker
Ted Carothers – Healthcare Admin
Vivian Carothers – Occupational Therapist
Karen Clark-Caruso – Valdese ABC Board
Scott Compton – Medical Sales/Marketing
Maryann Diamond – Financial Advisor
Seth Eckard – Town Management
Mike Farris – Insurance Agency
Tamika Garrison – Pastor
Kim Hyatt – Banking
Kevin Frederick – Pastor
Lu Litton Griffin – Non-Profit Development
Shawn Hamm – D.O. UNC Health Blue Ridge
David Harmon – Architect
Bruce Hawkins – Social Worker
Beth Heile – NoteWorthy Software, Inc
Faith “Cutie” Kaplan – Retail
Linda Kidd – XCell Swimming
Sarah Lowman – Healthcare, UNC Health Blue Ridge
John Lafferty – MD
Chris Leonhardt – Valdese ABC Board
Rexanna Lowman – Educator
Christina McNally – Healthcare, Carolina Caring
Paul Mears – Principal Agent, Nationwide Insurance
Alicia Mears – Educator
Jon Mercer – COO, UNC Health Blue Ridge
Kristina Mercer – Highland’s Family Farm
Pat Nivanh – Education
Sarah Owens – Fabric Manufacturing Project Management – 3rd Generation Rotarian
Edyth Potter – Community Theater, Old Colony Players
Rachael Palmer – Land Conservation
Bill Roberts – Minister
Shannon Radabaugh –
Marti Sundell –
Debbie Thompson – Educator
Sheree Troy – Flight Attendant
Tom Troy – Pilot
Joel Welch – WPCC
Santford Wellborn – Veterinarian
Elsie Whisenant – Educator
Honorary Members
Tim Horldt, Larry Earp, Chuck Moseley, Jim Rostan, Jerry Baker, Ed Plemmons
Valdese Women in Rotary (May 2021 Report)
From Rotary International — 1987 – On 4 May, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that Rotary clubs may not exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. Rotary issues a policy statement that any Rotary club in the United States can admit qualified women into membership.
Rotary Club of Valdese inducted our first female member in 1988. Mary-Louise Hatley, a realtor in town, was the first and she went on to become our first female president in 1993. Three more women served as president through 1999.
From there, more women were added primarily with our spouse membership program. The goal was not to add women, but to add members. For a spouse membership, Valdese Club pays RI and District Dues and the spouse pays meals and local fees. We currently have 5 sets of spouse members – the highest has been 8 sets. Most spouses were already active in the club, just not “official.”
Our executive committee has been 75-100% female for the past 5 years with a female president since 2017 starting with Beth Heile, followed by Maryann Diamond, Kristina Mercer and currently Susan Bingham. Of those, two were spouse members and two were not.
For the club year 2020-2021, with Beth Heile as membership chair, 6 of 7 of new members are women and our current membership stands at 19 women members of 33 total. We currently have 6 female members who have been in the club 9-25 years.
Our goal always has been, and always will be, to welcome new folks into Rotary. We do not target certain types or classifications; we just want those who put Service Above Self.
~Beth Heile